


don’t let me drown

by glitterxgold



Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Teachers, Anxiety, Children, Cute, Doctors & Physicians, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Kid Fic, Little Sisters, Minor Character Death, More tags to be added as we go, Out of Character, Sad, Sisters, Slow Burn, i suck at tags sorry lol
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-18
Updated: 2021-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-13 08:49:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29523888
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/glitterxgold/pseuds/glitterxgold
Summary: five years ago, olivia’s world was turned upside down. she’s doing her best to stay afloat and be the best she can be. some days, though, it all seems like it’s a little too much to handle.can a stranger’s kindness change the course of her story?
Relationships: Michael Clifford/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 4





	1. prologue

**Author's Note:**

> trigger warnings: abandonment by a family member, hints of burnout (?)

_**Five years before** _

_Olivia jolted awake for the she’d lost count what time that night._

_Vicky was crying again, and it didn’t sound like she was going to give it a rest anytime soon. It was as if she knew the exact moment when Olivia was about to fall back asleep: as her eyelids got heavier and heavier, and she was just on the verge of dozing off, the crying and wailing would just start all over again._

_She glanced at the clock on the bedside table; the red numbers glowing read 6.01 am. With a sigh, realising that in three hours she’d have to be on her way to work, she went to the nursery, the universe seeming to have decided that she’d had enough sleep for that night (the total amount of three and a half hours would have to suffice)._

_The small room she had painted in warm colours herself was lit by a soft night light, and toys and plushies decorated the shelves, the peaceful scene being disrupted only by the baby’s frantic crying. Vicky was sitting on her crib, the sheets all messed from her thrashing, looking miserable and very much awake._

_Olivia spared a brief thought to their father, who was probably drunk, passed out in some alley or on their couch, but shook it off quickly. More pressing matters were at hands, as she took Vicky and rocked her softly in her arms._

_“Hey... hey now, what’s wrong?” - she cooed - “what’s wrong, baby? Are you hungry?”_

_It’s not that she was expecting her to reply, anyway, but it was worth a shot, right?_

_She dragged her tired self down the hallway, into the kitchen, placing the still upset Vicky on the high chair and reaching for the cupboard, looking for a bottle and getting it ready as fast as she could. The toddler fussed with it for a bit, though quieting down for a second to start drinking it, giving Olivia just a little time to breathe.  
_

“ _So you were actually hungry, huh?” - she said, softly, running her hand through the little hair Vicky had, a mess of hazel coloured curls that resembled so much her own_

_As she looked around the kitchen, a piece of paper on the counter caught her eye. It looked like it had been ripped out of a newspaper or something of the sort.  
_

_Olivia picked it up, unfolding it. It was barely intelligible, the handwriting was a mess and looked rushed, as if it had been written in a hurry.  
_

_“_ You won’t see me again. Things happened, I need to leave. Take care - Dad”

_Along with the note was a 20 dollar bill._

_Olivia felt sick, as a wave of emotions washed over her. She felt the world crumble at her feet, even though she knew she’d have to get her act together fast._

_Vicky was crying again, and Olivia’s whole entire body longed for sleep, wondering how on Earth they were going to make it out of this one._

_Sitting on the cold kitchen tiles, she realised how utterly alone she was._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi everyone! I’ll always post the TWs at the beginning of the chapter, so please mind those! 
> 
> it’s my first time posting an actual, full story here so we’ll see how this goes and I hope you enjoy it! 
> 
> thanks for reading, lots of love


	2. one - changes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: I don’t think any apply for this one, it’s just overall cute, but let me know if there’s anything I should add here!

**_then_ **

On that warm, late September morning, with a pale sun shining and a clear blue sky, the car ride from home had been unusually quiet, the only sound in the car being the faint hum of the radio playing some random tune Olivia was tapping along to on the steering wheel. 

There was obviously some kind of unspoken tension in the air, and she was trying to postpone having to deal with it as long as she possibly could. 

They had arrived, though. The road was unusually busy for that time of the day when Olivia parked her car in front of the big building, in which a sign above the entrance read “Welcome!” in capital letters. She checked the time; surprisingly, despite Vicky’s fierce attempts to not let them leave home and all the pretentious assholes who couldn’t drive to save their own lives, they had made it not only on time, but, in fact, five minutes earlier. It had to be a good sign.

As Liv took a look in the rear view mirror, she could see her little sister’s usually easy smile had been replaced by a frown, and her arms were crossed sassily in front of her. She could read right through her, and obviously knew exactly that the pose meant nothing but defensiveness; a way to cope with the nerves. Olivia couldn’t help but feeling a certain softness at the thought that the little girl’s attitude was a carbon copy of her own; and though it led many times to disagreements between the two, she wouldn’t have it any other way. 

Liv left the car to go open Vicky’s door and help unbuckle her seatbelt. The child looked even more adorable than usual, with her pigtails and clutching her pink backpack that looked a little too big on her.

“Come on, you don’t want to be late for your first day, do you?”

The little girl turned her face away from her sister for a second.

“I don’t wanna go” - she mumbled

Vicky felt butterflies in her stomach, and not in a good way. She had left all her friends at the daycare behind, and there was no one she knew at this new place; what if everyone hated her? What if the teacher was mean to her? A million thoughts were crossing her head, and not all of them pleasant.

The older sister got her out of the car, helping her put her backpack on, which made her stumble back slightly from it being a little heavy. As they stood in the sidewalk, she crouched in front of her.

“Why don’t you want to go?”

Tears brimmed her blue eyes, even though she was clearly fighting them back.

“I don’t know anyone here, what if they’re all mean and horrible?” - she said, voice small

Olivia had to fight back her own tears. She had been dreading this moment for weeks, not knowing if she’d be able to control her own emotions properly, and not wanting to cause Vicky any more distress.

It was bittersweet, sending Vicky off to her first day of school. Of course she had been in daycare for a long time, so she wasn’t new to being away from her, but this time, it was different. It was the real deal, and everything was a new thing. That little girl was her whole heart and soul, and the big sister wasn’t so sure she was ready to let her go into the big world, even though she knew deep in her heart that she’d be okay. Vicky was a lovely girl, despite the attitude, very smart, and lively, and there was a kindness to her that made it nearly impossible not to love her. Olivia looked at her face with a certain fondness in her eyes, and couldn’t help but feel a little bit proud: for someone who’d been left by herself with a toddler to raise and no clue of what to do at only twenty years of age, despite all the struggles, she felt like she had done a pretty damn good job.

Vicky’s quiet sniffle brought her back to reality. She tried to reassure the girl the best she could.

“Vicks... they’re gonna love you and you’re gonna love them” - Olivia tried to reason - “you’re gonna make so many friends you won’t even want to come home, I promise”

Vicky hugged her.

“Do you pinky promise?”

Olivia smiled and nodded, sticking out her pinky finger and entwining it with her little one. Then, Vicky took her hand, and they made it up the steps that led to the main door. 

The hallway was bright, and posters and drawings covered the walls, giving it an actually warm and welcoming look. Some children were already there, waiting and playing around, and so were some other parents, looking even more distressed than their own children, which made Olivia feel a little less alone in her concerns. 

Vicky was looking around, trying to take everything in. She looked overwhelmed to say the least, as she gripped her sister’s hand tight.

A tall and tanned man, who had been previously talking to someone, approached them with a warm smile. 

“Good morning! I take it you’re here for first grade, am I right?”

“Yes, yes, I’m Olivia Decker, this is Victoria, my sister. I’m her guardian”

“My name is Calum, and I will be Victoria’s teacher” - he introduced himself, as they shook hands - “nice to meet you”

Olivia let out a breath she didn’t realise she’d been holding, relieved that the teacher was a kind looking young man, probably around her age or so, that actually looked excited to teach the kids, and not some rude and unfriendly looking person who’d scare Vicky right from the start.

He crouched down so he was at Vicky’s level, and waved.

“Hi there, welcome!” - he greeted, cheerfully - “so a little bird tells me you’re Victoria?”

Vicky nodded, shyly.

“My sister calls me Vicky” - she said, in a hushed voice

The little girl was, again, trying to hold back tears, and it was breaking Olivia’s heart. Calum was no stranger to these situations, as he saw the scene over and over again every year, so he decided not to mention Vicky’s distress, so not to embarrass her.

“Well, Vicky, we’re gonna have so much fun today, aren’t you excited?!” - he said - “you’re gonna make so many new friends, and I have super cool things planned out for today!”

As if on cue, the bell rang right next to them. He held out his hand for Vicky to take.

“Seems like it’s time! Wanna come with me and the others?” - he asked

She looked at Olivia, hesitantly, and Olivia nodded, as to encourage her.

“See you later, bug” - she said, kissing her forehead - “be good!”

She gave her a small smile, and let Calum take her by the hand, along with the other children who were waving goodbye to their parents as well. The teacher made one last note about the meeting with the parents later that day, and proceeded to get the kids in the classroom so their first day could start.

When the door closed behind them, Olivia felt her chest tighten a little, and couldn’t help the tears that came to her eyes for a moment as she left, making her way back to the car; it was as if all the emotion she had been holding back for her little sister’s sake was coming back to her, leaving her just a little overwhelmed.

She walked slowly, purposefully staying behind and letting all the other people leave in front of her. Getting outside, back at the main door, she found a quieter place, and noticing there weren’t many other parents left there, she took a moment to wipe her tears and let out a small sniffle. As she was trying to cover up the slight redness in her eyes before going on with her day, a voice startled her.

“Are you okay, miss?” - a man, who looked about her age, asked

She observed the stranger for a second; he was quite tall, and pale skinned, and she noticed his eyes were green and very pretty. He actually looked quite handsome. He wore a black band t-shirt and jeans of same colour, and a few tattoos decorated the exposed skin of his arms.

What definitely stood out about him, though, was his brightly coloured turquoise hair, arranged in a short fringe that covered his forehead, contrasting with the blackness of his entire outfit. He had a certain “emo college student” vibe, and the look on his face seemed to be of genuine worry for her state of mind (not that she could blame him at all). She wiped her tears once more, embarrassed.

“I am, yeah, sorry” - she said, chuckling humourlessly

“I have tissues if you need” - he offered her, kindly - “are you sure you’re okay?”

“It’s okay, thank you, I was just having a moment” - Olivia replied, though she didn’t really know why it felt so easy to talk to this stranger - “I’ll be okay”

“Dropping off a little one for the first time?” - he asked, smiling - “don’t mean to intrude though”

Olivia smiled back, and nodded. 

“It’s bittersweet, I must say” - she replied - “dropped off yours, too?”

The man let out a small laugh and shook his head.

“Not really” - he said - “just came by to drop my flatmate’s lunch, he forgot it”

They both chuckled. Olivia thought about that exchange for a second; judging by the whole punk rock looks and skulls on his outfit, he didn’t really come across as the type who loved kids, but he was certainly nice.

“I’m Michael, by the way” - he introduced himself, holding out his hand

She shook it.

“I’m Olivia. Nice to meet you” - she said - “I should get going, though. I’ll be late for work, uh-“

She straightened her shirt with her hand and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear, trying to regain some of the composure she had lost in those mere seconds.

“Yeah, of course. I should get going, too. See you around, I guess”

Olivia nodded, as they both made their ways in opposite directions. She got into the car in a brighter mood after the stranger’s kindness to her; truth be told, she wasn’t used to someone caring so much about her feelings, let alone someone she’d never even met before.

Another look at the clock made her realise she actually was going to be late if she didn’t hurry, and she still desperately needed a pit stop for coffee, so she started the car and got going, watching as the school disappeared in the rearview mirror.

She sighed, getting ready to face yet another day.

It all felt different now that Vicky was in school, doing big girl stuff as she would call it, and little did Olivia know, all was changing, slowly but surely.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hope you liked it and I’m always happy to have feedback ❤️
> 
> just so it’s clear, this is all set five years after the prologue!


	3. two - thoughts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw - i don’t think any apply, but if something looks triggering to you, please let me know!

_ A week later _

  
As Olivia was driving to work one morning, after dropping Vicky at school, she felt her phone buzzing in her pocket. Taking a quick glance at the name on the screen made a bout of sickness-like feeling wash over her. 

Seeing that she was almost at the coffee shop for her usual morning stop, she pulled over on the street in front of it, reluctantly answering the call.

“Hello, Anne” - she greeted, trying not to sound as rude as she actually wanted to be - “is everything okay?”

“We want Victoria to come with us for three days” - the person on the other side said, obviously skipping all pleasantries - “that’s how long we’re going to be in the countryside. We will be picking her up tomorrow at noon, pack her bags” 

Olivia pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing.

“It’s not that easy. She just started school and it’s the middle of the week” - Olivia argued, trying to reason, though she knew it would probably be useless 

“It won’t harm her to miss a day of school to be with her family. Figure it out. We’ll come back on Monday morning and leave her at school again” 

And the line went dead. Olivia punched the steering wheel in frustration and felt like throwing her phone out the window. With a deep breath, she regained composure and walked into the coffee shop, placing her usual order at the counter, though her hands were still shaking slightly, then making her way over to a table nearby.

She pulled her phone out of her pocket again to shoot a quick text at her best friend.

_ To: Abby _

_ 8:43 am _

_this day already sucks and it’s barely 9 am send help_

While waiting for the reply to come, Liv took a sip of her coffee and took a look around, locking eyes for a second with the person on the table beside hers.   


A smile came, in recognition, as she noticed the quite flashy turquoise hair. This time, his outfit was very simple, just a black hoodie and sweatpants, and though still very handsome, he looked tired, with dark circles subtly lining his eyes.

“Hey! Michael, right?” - she asked 

The man chuckled, smiling back brightly.

“Right. Olivia, if I remember correctly?” - he asked, receiving a nod from her - “funny to find you here. You seem to be feeling better than last time”

Both laughed, Olivia remembering for a second how nice he’d actually been to her the first time he’d met her at the school.

“Yeah, I usually stop here for coffee before work” - she said - “and yeah, I definitely am, thank you. My little one’s loving school so far” 

“Glad to hear it. Well, I for one am heading back home to sleep” - he informed, in reply to what she’d said before about work

As Olivia was about to ask, his phone rang and his face turned suddenly serious. He finished his coffee and stood up.

“I’d love to talk more, but I gotta take this, it’s urgent” - he said, looking worried, all the lightness disappearing from his face - “have a nice day Olivia, sorry!”

He handed a bill to guy behind the counter and, when he passed by her table on the way out, he took the phone from his ear for a second to tell her: 

“Coffee’s on me this time!” 

And in a second, he’d left, closing the door behind him and not giving her time to even protest. Olivia smiled at the kind gesture and finished her drink, the trouble seemingly away from her mind for a little 

*******

“How was school today?” - Olivia asked, as she walked back to the car with her sister by the hand

It had been a week since it had started, and Vicky had fit in perfectly in her new environment. She seemed to love the school, the teacher, and all of her new friends, which made Olivia’s heart fill with pride and relief that this transition wasn’t going to be so hard after all.

“It was nice. We went outside to pick fallen leaves and they were so pretty!” - Vicky announced, excitedly

Olivia chuckled, though an uncomfortable thought roamed freely, constantly in the back of her mind, tracing back to that morning’s conversation on the phone. She remembered Abby’s words of comfort in the text she had sent her, and tried to reassure herself.

As she started the car and they made her way back home through the busy traffic of the city, a brief silence fell between the sisters. Olivia hummed absentmindedly to a tune that had been stuck in her head all day, while Vicky looked through her window, distracted, at the sky which was slowly painting itself in the colours of the sunset; she looked a little tired.

In a bit, Olivia spoke again: 

“How would you feel about pizza for dinner today?” - she inquired, though she was pretty sure she knew the answer already 

Vicky let out what almost sounded like a squeak of excitement that made Liv laugh. 

“Yes, pizza!!!” - she said, clapping her hands together adorably 

Within a few minutes, they had reached home, and both sisters were settling in. Olivia placed the order for pizza, and helped Vicky with her bath and pajamas, quickly picking a more comfortable outfit for herself as well. 

While they sat together in the couch, watching cartoons and munching on their pizza slices, Olivia decided it was time to bring up the subject that had been bothering her all day.

“Pumpkin, there’s something I need to tell you about” - she began, testing the waters and looking for Vicky’s reaction 

The child looked at her, showing that she had her attention.

“Grandma called me this morning... she and grandpa want you to go spend a couple days with them...” - Olivia announced - “they want to pick you up tomorrow at lunch”

Vicky just looked forward, seemingly processing the information she’d just been given, and staying silent for a few seconds. Grandma and grandpa were usually a touchy subject; their mother’s parents were curious characters, and Olivia, to be really honest, despised both.   


They were rich and pretentious and snobbish, and had never cared about her, not after their mum died, and not after their dad left. But they seemed to have a liking for the youngest girl, and every once in a while they’d send money to “help with the expenses”, as if that was all there was to raising a child. 

Also from time to time, for whatever reason, they’d come pick her up for a couple days at their country house with them, and for as much as Olivia hated the thought, since they had questionable opinions on educating children, she wasn’t really in a position to say no: they weren’t doing her sister any actual harm, anyway - and Olivia didn’t really want to be in bad terms with them and have those pretentious twats give her trouble with Vicky’s guardianship, as they’d threatened more than once.

And it’s not that Vicky adored them either, not being used to staying away from her. It always pained the big sister to tell her that she had been invited, even though she usually went along with the plan; they were mostly nice to her and let her do pretty much whatever she wanted while she was there, which made Olivia’s blood boil, as they had no idea of what was dangerous or irresponsible to do with a child (truth be told, they’d always have someone else to raise their own children, they had never done it themselves and it had been ages ago, how would they know? 

“Okay, I can go” - she said, nodding, and focusing once more on her pizza and the cartoons on TV 

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah. I’m sure. They’re fun sometimes” - Vicky said, shrugging 

Olivia smiled and kissed her forehead, feeling a burst of gratitude in her chest that her sister was so easy going and that that subject wasn’t going to be a problem; they went back to watching their cartoons and finishing their food in peace and quiet, only then moving to the bedroom to pack Vicky’s stuff for the trip.

Packing was always quite the challenge, since Vicky seemed to want to take every item in her drawers, including useless ones like her toy bucket for the beach or her giant stuffed panda that wouldn’t fit anywhere, and it could be hard to reach a compromise sometimes.   


Trying to get her bags ready would always involve lots of “you’re not taking that” and “what do you need that for?!” from Olivia and lots of protesting from Vicky, but after a while, they’d always manage to get to the end of it somehow. 

At last, when the bag was ready and neatly placed in the corner of the room and Vicky was yawning and more than ready to sleep, Olivia tucked her in bed as she always did.

“Liv...” - she called, suddenly, but hesitating, as if thinking of how to ask something 

Olivia caressed her hair, gently.

“Yeah, munchkin?”

“Today at school Jill asked why I don’t have a dad...”

There was a moment of shocked silence, and Olivia swallowed thickly.

“Not all families have to be the same, Vicks. Some have their mom and dad... some have just one of them, some have two moms or two dads, and some have their big sisters, and that’s just fine” 

Vicky seemed to consider the answer for a second, but was satisfied immediately.

“Love you, Liv” - she said 

Her sister smiled fondly and kissed her forehead.

“Love you too, Vicks. Sleep tight”

She turned off the bedside lamp, leaving only the night light on, and left to sit on the couch for a little bit longer. On her phone, an unread text from Abby.

_ From: Abby  _

_ 10.01 pm _

_ Sorry it took me so long to reply, this days been crazy. How are you? _

_ To: Abby  _

_ 10.02 pm _

_ idk I’m... I have a bad feeling about this, Abbs. They’re just so irresponsible sometimes _

_ From: Abby  _

_ 10.04 pm _

_ It’s gonna be okay, I’m sure. We should maybe hang out on Saturday?????? Pleaaaase?  _

Olivia smiled at the phone.

_ To: Abby _

_ 10.05 pm _

_ idk... we’ll see. xx  _

When she finally went to bed, she fell quickly into a dreamless sleep, trying her best not to think of the weekend without her sister that was about to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading, as always, sending love ❤️


	4. three - talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw - mention of alcohol

The sun had already set, and the city was slowly painting itself in the mix of colours that comes right after dusk. The sound of passing cars faded  in the distance, and peace and quiet were settling in. Calum  was sitting at the living room table, as he’d realised before that the Wi-Fi connection in the office just wasn’t going to cooperate with his need to get the work done; he had his papers sprawled all over the surface, as he finished going over the several unread e-mails on his inbox, all related to work. He sighed, glancing at the pile of homework sheets from his class he still had to go over and correct

He loved his job, but his tasks came home with him way too often, with all the planning, and correcting and grading, and it was not unusual to find him hunched at the desk or at a table ‘til the late hours of the night. One time (actually much more than once), Michael had found him sleeping on top of his papers, and had to go wake him up and send him to bed. 

Absorbed in the task at hand  as he was, he didn’t hear the keys turning on the lock that indicated that his flatmate was finally home from work.

A hand on his shoulder made him jump and he let out a gasp, swearing quite colourfully.

“Holy fuck shit, MICHAEL, HOW MANY TIMES HAVE I TOLD YOU, DON’T FUCKING DO THIS” 

Michael barked a laugh out loud, that asshole. He was clearly not even sorry and he didn’t bother hiding it. Calum smacked him on the arm, and he went straight towards the sofa, plopping down tiredly with a sigh.

“What are you up to, mate?” - he asked 

Calum looked up from his papers.

“Long story short, putting stickers on homework sheets” 

Michael chuckled.

“Felt. Spent all day giving out good behaviour stickers today” - he said, smiling, resting his head back in a cushion and closing his eyes

“Long day huh?” - Calum asked 

Michael replied, nodding with his eyes still closed.

“Don’t remind me, I’m sitting for the first time in like eight hours. They called me back in when I was having breakfast cause there was no one else to deal with an emergency on one of the kids that we admitted yesterday” - he said - “saw like 3 broken limbs in a row, what do kids even do on the playgrounds these days?!” 

Calum chuckled.

“Tell me about it” - he retorted

“How was your day, though?” - Michael inquired, again 

“The kids loved the outdoor activities, today, especially the leaf picking. The collages look so cute”

“Leading fifteen little devils to the playground on your own, I’ll tell you mate, you’re brave”

Both laughed. Michael was happy that he had Calum to count on after a long day. They had been friends for such a long time, everything felt so natural between them, and the flat sharing worked so well for both none of them would want it any other way.

“I figure none of us feels like cooking, I certainly don’t, so I’m ordering take out and then I’m gonna take a shower, be right back”

Calum nodded, sending him off on his way, getting back to his papers. Some solid fifteen minutes went by, when he was once more interrupted by his phone ringing. Calum didn’t recognise the caller ID, but figured it was probably one of the parents, as he always gave them his number at the beginning of each year.

“Hello?” 

_ “Mr. Hood? It’s Olivia, Victoria’s sister, she’s in your class”  _

“Ah yes, hello! Call me Calum, please, Mr. Hood makes me feel so old” - he said, with a chuckle - “how can I help you?”

_ “ I’m so sorry to bother you, I’m just calling to let you know that Victoria’s grandparents will be picking her from school tomorrow, at lunch, and not me” _

“Okay, Ms. Decker, noted!”

_ “ I hope she hasn’t been giving you too much trouble” - Olivia said _

“Not at all, she’s a lovely girl and has been fitting in perfectly” - he reassured 

_ “Thank you so much Mr. - uhm, Calum” - Olivia corrected - “a good evening to you” _

“Good evening to you too, you’re welcome!”

And she hung up.

“Who was that?” - Michael asked, coming back to the living room with a towel wrapped around his waist and hair still damp from the shower, and placing a beer in front of him while he opened one to himself

“Just a heads up from a parent. A sister, actually”

“Damn, and I thought my work came home with me” - he said, with a fake grimace 

Calum simply scoffed at that; he finally stacked his papers to put them away and moved to the couch, finally resting his back.

“I’m hungry, where’s the food?” - he asked, half joking - “and Michael for fuck’s sake put some pants on, aren’t you cold?”

Michael rolled his eyes, in mock annoyance, and came back a minute later with pajama pants on. He sat on the couch next to him, still holding his beer.

“I might’ve made a friend” - the green eyed boy said, with a hint of a smile on his face - “I paid for coffee today” 

Calum looked at him, raising an eyebrow.

“Wait, how, when and who?” - he inquired, curiously - “how come you’re on the paying for coffee base and I didn’t know about this?”

“Don’t make such a big deal out of it, we’ve met twice, Hood” - Michael explained, blushing slightly - “first time at the school, on that first day, she’d been dropping her kid off and didn’t seem to be feeling too good so I asked her if everything was okay and we talked for a minute, and then this morning at the coffee shop. She was so nice, I figured I’d be nice too”

Calum giggled.

“Smooth as fuck, Mike, you’re such a charmer” - he said, playfully punching Michael on the arm, making the green eyed boy roll his eyes at him- “how do you know she’s not taken anyway?”

“Stop it!” - Michael whined, smacking him on the arm, the light blush from before now furiously creeping up his cheeks \- “what does it matter? I had to interrupt our conversation, so I paid for her coffee since I was leaving first, what’s the big deal?”

The other man let out a very annoying giggle and put on that fucking smug grin that he knew always got on his nerves.

“A’ight, what’s her name anyway?”

“Olivia” 

Calum turned his head so fast Michael could almost hear his neck snapping.

“Does she happen to be like, 5’6, brown hair, shoulder length, blue eyes?” - he asked

Michael nodded and Calum smirked.

“I just got off the phone with her, Mike! Her younger sister is one of my students” 

Michael looked surprised. 

“It’s a small world indeed ain’t it”

”And I happen to know she’s single, buddy...” - Calum continued, dodging the remote that was thrown in his direction - “also I-“

The doorbell ringing interrupted their conversation, preventing Calum from making whatever probably stupid comment he was going to make next. Michael was secretly thankful for the change in the subject. 

“It’s probably the food guy, I’ll go get it”

Just five minutes later, they were sitting on the couch, diving on their Chinese food and watching some random reruns on TV. 

“I missed having free time, actually” - Michael announced with a sigh - “this feels good” 

Calum smiled.

“You’ve been working yourself too hard” - he paused, as if thinking of something - “hey, are you working this weekend?” 

“Nope, I worked a night shift plus a full day, so they gave me the weekend off”

“We should go out this weekend. Have a drink, let off some steam, feel me?”

Michael chuckled and nodded, while finishing his second beer of the night.

“Do my ears deceive me or does Mr. Hood actually want to have a drink? Oh my, elementary school has turned you into a savage” - he joked, earning a middle finger from Calum - “of course, mate, that sounds good, I’m in. Maybe we’ll get you laid this weekend. As long as you do it away from my room of course”

“Michael!!!” - Calum reprimanded, blushing slightly

Michael just shrugged, raising his hands in defence, satisfied that his best friend was getting the much deserved payback for teasing him before.

Truth be told, Calum hadn’t been with anyone in a while, and though he did miss the feeling, he wasn’t sure he was ready for that kind of commitment again. He shook the thoughts off, since he was clearly overthinking everything.

They finished their dinner in silence, just commenting on the show or laughing every once in a while. It felt quiet and safe, and both boys were glad they could just share a space to take their minds off things after a long day.

They exchanged their goodnights; Calum got his things ready for the next day, and Michael, still exhausted from work, went to bed early and was passed out within minutes, or so his flatmate thought, judging from the complete silence and dark coming from his bedroom.

He was truly passionate at what he did; but a part of Calum still worried that the bright haired boy was working himself to exhaustion just to avoid dealing with his feelings; he was barely home anyway - he told him every time that he was over getting his heart brutally broken months before, but Cal knew him better and just wasn’t so sure.

He too, though, began to feel his bed call for him, though it took him significantly longer to fall asleep.

He’d have a busy day in front of him, and he wanted to be ready. He went over his plans one more time before sleep finally came to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading, hope you’re enjoying it! feedback is always much appreciated <3


	5. four - setbacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw - alcohol, panic attack, vomiting/sickness

  
Saturday night, when Olivia (who had been desperately trying to distract herself and not check her phone every five minutes waiting for Anne to call) told Abby she wasn't really in the mood to go out, she wasn't expecting her best friend to show up at her house half an hour later with snacks and a bottle of wine.

At last, both friends sat on the couch, with their glasses in hand, chatting, with the TV on a random channel serving as background noise.

"There's no way I was going to leave you here alone. You'll dig a hole on your floor from pacing around so much" - Abby joked

Olivia smiled, sadly.

"You're a treasure, Abbs. What would I do without you?" - she replied, raising her glass of wine to her

Abby clinked their glasses, toasting.

"You'd be here miserable and alone on a Saturday night, of course"

Both girls laughed, and talked for a little longer. Olivia's phone, that had been lying, forgotten for a couple of minutes, in the armrest, lit up. She hastily picked it up, only to realise it was just a notification for spam e-mail, which made her sigh.

Abby put down her glass.

"That's it. No more of this. We're going out" - she declared

"But - "

"No but, Liv. If you're gonna make yourself sick, let it be because you're wasted and not because you're overthinking yourself into a panic attack" - Abbs stated, not leaving much room for debate

Olivia's face dropped; she knew Abbs was right, but she hadn't talked to Victoria for a few hours, nor had she heard anything from her grandparents, and the sole though that something could happen to her was making her feel sick. At this point, she had tears in her eyes.

"Babe..." - Abby began, taking her hand - "I know you're anxious for Vicky, but I'm sure she's alright. You would've known already if she wasn't. So since we're here, why don't you take a little bit to yourself and just let loose and take your mind off things? I know a place not far from here, it's neat, I've been there a couple times... it's gonna be fun"

Olivia nodded, feeling like Abby had won her over.

"Now, it's still early, so wipe those tears, go put on something pretty, we'll figure out some bomb ass looks for the both of us, and we'll get going, okay?"

The other girl smiled and nodded. Abby kissed her on the forehead.

"I fucking love you even if you're stubborn as hell" - she said, getting up and taking her by the hand

"I love you too, idiot" - Olivia said, thankful to have a friend like Abby

Hand in hand, the girls made their way to the bedroom to get ready.

****

"Michael, fuck's sake mate, you've been locked in there for fifteen minutes" - Calum yelled, banging on the bathroom door

"There's another fucking bathroom, Hood! Use it!" - Michael retorted, from the inside

Calum rolled his eyes.

"My stuff is in there, you moron!" - he complained - "let me at least get my fucking toothbrush?"

"Hold your horses, I'm almost ready and you're distracting me"

In a way, Calum was happy that Michael, for the first time in a while, was actually putting some effort in his looks. But he was shirtless just outside the bathroom door, waiting for him to be ready so he could get ready too, and the wait was getting very annoying.

The door finally opened. Calum let out a mock whistle at the sight of his friend. The blue hair was neatly arranged in his usual fringe; his clothes were a regular shirt and jeans combo with his favorite boots he always loved to wear whenever we wasn't wearing sneakers (which was almost never). The eyebrow piercing was back in, and oh wow, a very subtle black colour lined his waterline; barely visible, but enough to make his green-blue eyes stand out a whole lot.

"Every 2000's punk band called, they want their aesthetics back" - Calum commented, letting out a laugh, not resisting the remark

Michael flipped him off, though laughing back, ignoring Calum's attempt to get on his nerves again (in fact, much of their relationship had been built on the premise that they would constantly annoy each other at whatever chance they had. There was something about it that screamed so much brotherly love it made them feel secretly soft. Annoying and teasing was most definitely their love language, if such a thing existed).

"I'm just messing with you, mate. You look great" - he said, patting Michael on the shoulder

"Thanks, I know, now hurry up and put a shirt on, we don't have all night" - Michael replied, sticking his tongue out at him and disappearing into his bedroom

As Calum stood in front of the mirror and styled his messy curls into something that didn't scream I was working all day and I'm so fucking tired oh my God, he felt a bout of excitement running through him - it had been a while since they had done it, just hang out somewhere with no worries for a bit.

It was going to be a good night, Calum could feel it.

****

"Aren't you going a little too fast there, miss "I don't wanna hang out"?" - Abby commented, raising an eyebrow as Olivia downed her third shot glass in the span of five minutes - "we barely got here"

"I haven't seen you drinking yet" - Olivia commented

"We have time, it's not like the world will be ending in a second. Come on, get up, come dance with me"

Olivia sighed.

"You know I'm a terrible dancer"

Abby took her by the hand, as a new song was just starting.

"Well, I didn't say I was good, come on"

She dragged Olivia to the dance floor, where a few other groups stood, all drinks in hand, moving their bodies (some quite clumsily) along to the loud music. Maybe it was the alcohol from before starting to seep in her brain, but as the song went on and Abby moved in front of her, she was starting to let her movements a little looser, and she had to admit it, she was kind of enjoying herself.

After five or ten minutes, Olivia got closer to Abby so she could tell her that she was going to get "more booze" for them. Abby nodded, and kept on dancing, while Liv made her way to the bar, asking the bartender for two whiskeys with coke, their favourite drink.

While she waited, she noticed someone sitting by her side, tending to their own drink. A smiling face looked at her, greeting her in recognition; it was Calum, though his curly hair was styled different and his look in general didn't resemble much the one she had gotten used to from seeing him at the school.

"Calum, hi!" - she greeted back, returning the smile - "how are you?"

"I'm doing great, just came to hang out with a friend. How are you?" - he asked, though he had to almost yell to make himself heard above the loud music

"I'm good, thanks, I came here with a friend, too, she's somewhere out there dancing" - Olivia said, laughing, gesturing towards the dance floor - "my sister is not staying with me this weekend"

She did her best to ignore the slight pang in her chest that came at the mention of Vicky. In a moment, a second voice could be heard behind Calum, approaching him.

"Did you get me my drink?" - they asked

"Yes, but Mike, look, this is Olivia, she's the older sister to one of my little ones" - Calum said, with a grin, totally enjoying the blush on Michael's cheeks that the blue haired boy was happy no one could notice under the bar's dim lights

"We've met before, Cal, thank you" - Michael said, smiling at Olivia, though he really wanted to punch Calum for that stupid introduction - "hi Olivia, nice to see you again"

She looked really pretty, with her hair nicely tied back in a braid, and a top that exposed just a little bit of her shoulders.

Olivia, too, stopped for a moment to look at Michael, in a holy shit he looks so hot minute. The lightning in the room made his hair take up different tones, and his shirt exposed just a bit of his tattooed arms. Also, a small black piercing decorated his eyebrow, and is that make up he is wearing oh my god, was a thought that crossed Olivia's mind, until she realised, awkwardly, that she had probably been staring for a couple of seconds. She blushed.

"Michael, hi, so nice to see you again. It's so funny we keep running into each other" - she said - "I didn't know you knew Calum"

"I do, for many, many years now. We live together, actually" - Michael explained - "he's the flatmate that forgot his lunch from that day, remember?"

Olivia nodded, and both chuckled. Suddenly, she had an idea.

"I didn't get to thank you for the coffee the other day. Can I buy you a drink?"

Michael sat next to her, while Calum gestured to him to say he was going back to the dance floor.

"You don't need to thank me, really" - he replied, smiling

"Oh, I insist. Do you like whiskey and coke?" - Olivia asked

Michael nodded, and she asked the bartender for another one.

"It's my favourite, actually"

Then, in a minute, Abby was back at her side, wondering what was taking her so long.

"Did you decide to drink everything by yourself or are you just trying to escape from dancing?" - she asked, not noticing Michael by Olivia's side

"I ran into a friend" - Olivia informed, discreetly gesturing towards Michael

Abby raised an eyebrow, slightly, and said hi, with a subtle movement of the head in his direction, acknowledging him.

"Abby, this is Michael. Michael, this is Abby"

"Nice to meet you" - Michael said

"Nice to meet you too, Michael. Well. Now that we all have our drinks, why don't we move to the dance floor, then?" - she replied

Liv exchanged a quick look with Michael, waiting on his reaction. He smiled, and stood up from the stool.

"Let's go, I love this song!"

Calum stood at a short distance from them, talking to someone he knew, and moving from one side to the other to the beat. Abby had wandered off to somewhere else, and Liv, still holding on to her drink, was starting to feel a little dizzy, but the alcohol made her feel bolder, and she danced, freely, to the song. She went on taking sips of her whiskey, relishing for a little longer in the burning feeling in her throat.

Michael, too, danced next to her, happily. He was very laid back and seemed to be enjoying himself. They were both enjoying the moment in each other's company, and even though that didn't know each other that well, they obviously got along pretty well, and both were having fun and putting all worries aside for a little while.

Olivia, though, interrupted the dance from time to time to go fetch a drink. Besides being a bit of a lightweight, it had been a long time since she had drunk that amount of alcohol, and her body, not used to it, was starting to give notice of the consequences.

They weren't sure how long it had been, maybe one hour, maybe two. In a moment when her and Michael were both resting in the corner, while a slower song was playing, she picked her phone from her back pocket and realised the had an unread text from Anne.

_From: Anne_

_1.20 am_

_Victoria is already asleep. Talk to you tomorrow_

A panic began to slowly rise to her hazy mind. Anne hadn't called her. The weight of not having Victoria next to her and not taking care of her started affecting her. All of a sudden, she was too aware of her surroundings and the music was pounding too hard in her eardrums. Michael seemed to notice the change in mood, and steadied her when she stumbled forward, looking for a way out of there.

"Woah, Olivia, are you okay?" - he asked, worried

He followed her outside, concerned for her safety. The cold October air hit him in the face, not totally unwelcome. Olivia sat on the floor, her head between her hands. Michael crouched to be at her level and placed a hand on her shoulder, as she was clearly not feeling well.

"Olivia- talk to me, what's going on? What are you feeling?"

But Olivia just didn't know what was happening. She felt overwhelmed, dizzy and losing control of herself. Her breath was catching in her throat, and the same thought repeated over and over again in her mind ifailedherifailedherifailedher. Without realising, her breathing was coming way too fast, in short puffs of air.

Michael, who was still very much sober despite the alcohol he had had, recognised very well a panic attack when he saw one. He sat in front of her, on the floor, talking slowly and gently.

"Olivia- Olivia, look at me, you're having a panic attack" - he explained - "you're okay, you have to breathe, yeah? Can you do that?"

Olivia nodded, frantically, trying to steady her breathing.

"Do you want to hold my hand? Would it help?"

Olivia nodded again, still making an effort to breathe normally. Michael took her hand and she gripped it tight; it felt soft on hers.

"There, I've got you. You're doing good, Olivia. Keep breathing slow, in through the nose, out through your mouth, okay?" - he asked, as he exaggerated the breathing movements so she could follow - "come on, do as I'm doing"

They stood like that for a few minutes, in silence, as Olivia came down from her panic, which was gradually replaced by a feeling of sickness, as her body longed to expel the alcohol that was clouding her brain. She swallowed thickly, knowing what was probably going to come next.

Her face had gotten several shades paler.

Michael stood up and helped bring her to her feet, and she leaned back against the wall, for support.

"How are you feeling?"

"I'm going to be-"

And she didn't get a chance to finish her sentence. In the blink of an eye, she was dry heaving into the waste bin nearby. She heard Abby's voice, as she placed a coat over her shoulders. Olivia felt so embarrassed and miserable she could barely look at Michael, but she could hear Abby apologising and thanking him.

"Let's take you home, bub, come on" - she said, as Olivia still looked down - "thank you, again, Michael"

"Please, before you go, save my number and let me know if she's okay when she gets home"

Abby nodded, handing him Liv's phone, and they proceeded to walk back to the car. Olivia lifted her head to look at Michael one more time before they left; he waved. She was expecting to see pity or disgust in his eyes, but saw nothing but genuine worry.

"Thank you" - she managed to say, though still being supported by Abby to walk

She felt mortified and still a little sick, the world seemed to be spinning around her. The car ride home was silent, and before she could do anything to avoid it, she had silent tears running down her face.

Abby stayed with her for the night; she helped her change clothes and get to bed.

"I'm so sorry, Abby, I fucked it up"

Abby caressed her hair, gently.

"Don't be sorry, Liv, you didn't fuck anything up, it's okay, babe" - she assured - "just rest now, okay? I'll stay with you"

Olivia pulled the covers over herself, already expecting the monumental hangover that awaited her the next morning, thinking she had to find a way to apologise to Michael for the whole scene she had caused.

As Abby sat beside her on the bed, she dozed off thinking that, for once, it felt nice to be the one being cared for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading loves! 
> 
> remember you can find me @/valntynexmike on Wattpad, where this story is also being posted ❤️


	6. five - perfect storms

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warnings: phobias, nightmares, mentions of sickness, psychological abuse (?)

Saturday was going quite boring to Victoria so far. Grandma and grandpa had gone down to town, and had been walking around all morning, doing stuff; every time they ran into someone they knew, which seemed to happen every two minutes, they would stop for ages just talking about everything and paying no attention to her. She felt as if something had changed since the previous time she had been there; there was a certain animosity in the air, and even though the child couldn't name the feeling, she no doubt perceived it and it made her feel uncomfortable.

Victoria would look up at them every once in a while. They looked fancy, with their clothes and their stance and the very way they placed their voices while talking; they held themselves high as if they owned the place.

At a point, they stopped with an old looking woman, who threw a funny look in her direction. She was full of necklaces and rings and her grey hair was styled up, making her look weird and intimidating.

They kept talking about Victoria as if she wasn't there. Somehow, the girl caught something they were saying.

"We bring her with us from time to time... the poor thing doesn't even have a TV at home, can you believe this? That sister of hers leaves her at school all day" - grandma was saying, with a hint of disgust in her voice- "it's almost a charity to bring her with us, but the things we do for family, am I right?"

The other lady nodded in understanding, sparing Victoria looks of pity. The girl, confused, couldn't help but say:

"But grandma, I have TV at home. And I love school, my teacher is very nice and very funny"

Grandma threw her a weird look and laughed it off with a "poor thing", and grandpa smacked her softly, discreetly in the back of the head. Victoria was confused and wanted to cry, why were they saying those things that were not true?

The old lady eventually walked away, and the three of them began to walk back home. Grandma was grabbing her hand way too tight, and almost dragging her along, walking at a pace Victoria couldn't keep up with. She finally spoke, after a while in silence:

"You, miss, have to learn to shut up when a grown up is talking, and not lie"

"But grandma-"

"Your sister clearly does not know how to educate you"

Victoria fell silent, beginning to feel upset, and didn't say anything else.

They had lunch in silence, too, which wasn't all that different from all the other times she had been there. The house was too big, littered with furniture and scary looking paintings, and for some reason no one seemed to like having the curtains open, so at any time of the day it was always so much darker than necessary.

Victoria sat in a corner of the guest room, by her window, and hid a sniffle. She hated being away from Olivia, and at the grandparents she'd always feel a little lonely, because no one ever played with her and they just let her walk around on her own.

However, she knew Olivia would be upset if she'd told her she didn't want to go, and she didn't want Liv to be upset, so she'd always tell her that she didn't mind going, even though she spent every second counting down to when she'd be going back home.

Late in the afternoon, Anne and Gerard came to call her, saying they were going for a walk up the trails nearby. The house was located near a big, dense area of woods, and some of the trails were quite popular and allowed people to just walk around nature for a while. This lifted Victoria's spirit, and she nodded, following both grandparents out of the house.

They walked for a good while, up and down the trail, as Victoria stopped occasionally to watch a butterfly or pick a wild flower. She heard them say, after a bit, "Let's take the other trail back home, it's getting dark and there's a storm coming". Vicky thought, for a moment, about how she hated storms, she had always been terrified of them, but the thought went as fast as it had come.

Anne and Gerard walked in front of her, letting her walk behind alone, as her tiny legs couldn't keep up with their pace.

The girl, while watching the place around her, as it got darker and the shadows of the trees grew, saw something flying nearby, in circles. She didn't know what it was, but curiosity got the best of her, and she went after it, running to her right and off the trail.

She kept chasing after the thing as it moved further away, until she came to a stop, watching it fly in awe, realising it was a bat. She had never seen one, and it fascinated her.

Grandma and grandpa, as they reached the end of the trail, looked back, and Victoria was nowhere to be seen. A flash of worry seemed to appear in Anne's eyes, but Gerard shrugged it off.

"She'll find her way back before it's dark. She's six, she's old enough to know her way around by now, when I was her age we were outside all day and we always knew how to come back home"

"Are you sure it's a good idea?"

"You keep asking this little brat to come with us, she's nothing but trouble, she should look after herself for once" - Gerard declared, raising his voice - "maybe this will teach you to leave her alone and not do charity, I am done pretending I like them, Anne"

Anne nodded, not discussing the matter any further, and walked back to the house, closing the blinds to shield themselves from the storm that was fast approaching.

When Victoria looked around, all she could see were trees. She tried to go back to where she had come from, but the trail marks had disappeared, and all paths looked the same. The grownups were nowhere to be seen, and Victoria was starting to panic, realising she was alone.

As time passed, and the girl couldn't find her way back home, the wind was starting to pick up around her. Thick clouds shuffled in the sky, their pace ever quickening, and at this point Vicky had trouble seeing where she was in the darkness. It was getting colder, and colder. Brambles scratched at her ankles, hurting her, and when she tripped upon a fallen log, hurting her hands, she decided not to get up anymore and just sat on the floor, waiting for someone to realise she wasn't with them and come pick her up.

Thick drops of freezing rain were now falling heavily on her, leaving her drenched and cold. The rustling leaves around her and the trees swaying in the wind with their long arm-like branches stretching into the dark sky were terrifying Victoria, and she began to cry, not able to hold it in any longer.

"Liv? Liv come pick me up" - she yelled out into the nothingness, but no one came

***

Hours had passed, it was way past midnight, and Victoria still wasn't back. Gerard had gone to sleep, grumpy as always. Anne couldn't help but feel worried for the girl; the woods were quite a dangerous place for those who did not know their way around.

The storm was raging, furiously, as bolts of loud thunder illuminated the sky, and rain kept pouring relentlessly. Of course Vicky hadn't found her way home, how could she have?

When Anne was just thinking about asking a neighbour for help, from the window by the main door, she saw a silhouette approaching in the distance, carrying a flashlight to light the way. As they got closer, Anne could make out the features of a young man, who seemed to be carrying something in his arms. Judging by the looks she could make out in the dim light,he seemed to be one of the workers who were always in the lands nearby, and knew the grounds better than anyone.

He approached their door, Anne could tell it was Victoria he was carrying, wrapped in a winter jacket, probably his. The child was sobbing frantically in his arms, out of breath, and he seemed to be saying something to her. Anne stepped outside, shielding herself from the cold wind.

"Are you Anne, this child's grandmother?" - he asked, as he stepped on the porch, and Anne noticed he had a thick accent

"Yes, I am"

She took a closer look at Victoria as the man helped her to her feet. The child was drenched, shaking, and seemed to have scratches all over her clothes, and she had tear tracks on her face, as she continued to sob, as if the crying was suffocating her.

"I was passing by the woods on my way home and I heard her. She was alone and crying and didn't know where she was. Did you know about this?" - the man said, with a certain angry tone to his voice

"We walked along the trails earlier today, we figured she'd find her way home on her own" - Anne said, trying to keep her voice firm and not faltering

The man stared at her in disbelief.

"She's six, ma'am. The woods are a dangerous place for a child, there are wild animals wandering around at this time of the year. She's lucky I got off work late today!" - he said, now raising his voice - "I should go to the police this instant and report you"

Anne was now angry. With her finger pointed at the man, and tilting her chin up while looking directly at him, she talked back:

"What's your name, young man?"

"John, ma'am"

"You, sir, are not going to say a word to anyone about this. As far as you know, we were desperately looking for our granddaughter. I will pay you for bringing Victoria back and compensate you for the bother, but you will stay silent" - she said - "if you say a word, you will regret it"

The poor man seemed to pale, understanding that this mad woman was serious. She went inside to pick an envelope with a bunch of 20$ bills inside and handed it to him.

"Is this enough?"

The man looked inside the envelope and nodded. He then left, waving Vicky goodbye, and disappearing back in the storm.

Gerard, awoken by the whole commotion, was waiting by the stairs, dressed in his robe and night clothes, hoping to understand what was going on. Victoria stood in the middle of the room, still crying, dripping rain water onto the carpet, motionless. He rolled his eyes in distaste.

"Look at you, girl. Couldn't even find your way home alone, you brats these days... you're ruining my carpet, go to your room"

Vicky barely heard him. She was cold, her body hurt, the scratches on her ankles were stinging, and all she could hear in her head were the loud thunder that made it look as if the sky was falling.

Anne, in silence, changed her to her pajamas and led her to bed, not saying a single word to her until she was laying under the blankets.

"You, miss, will not say a word about this to your sister. If she asks about the scratches, you'll say you fell while playing outside" - she said, sternly - "did you understand me?"

Vicky nodded, still in tears, as Anne left the room and closed the door behind her, leaving her in total darkness as the storm still raged outside.

Victoria didn't sleep at all that night.

***

When Olivia woke up on Sunday, she felt as if a thousand little people were banging drums inside her head, and her insides felt like jelly. She opened her eyes to a dark room, as Abby (bless her) had shut the curtains, and groaned.

She picked up her phone from beside her, and the light from the screen hurt her eyes. She had three unread texts. One from Anne, one from work, and the other... from Michael (which in itself was weird, since she didn't recall giving him her number)

_From: Anne_

_12.01 pm_

_Victoria is awake and playing outside. We will be dropping her off at school tomorrow morning._

Olivia wanted to talk to Victoria, but she wasn't even sure she could talk, so she decided to postpone the call, as she didn't want to explain to her sister what had happened the previous night. If Anne said the girl was okay... she probably was telling the truth, right?

The other text was from Michael.

_From: Michael_

_12.42 pm_

_Hey. Kinda worried about you, ngl. Lmk if ur okay when u wake up? Hope u feel better soon._

How sweet of him. She made a mental note to text him back when she felt okay enough to not squint her eyes at the brightness from her screen.

The door creaked open, and a little light illuminated the room, as Abby went in to find Olivia sitting on the bed, looking pale as a ghost.

"Hey, bub, how are you feeling?" - she said, handing her a glass of water - "brought you some aspirin, figured you'd need it"

"Ugh, yes, aspirin, my head's killing me" - Olivia whined - "you're an angel Abbs. I love you"

Abby sat beside her on the bed.

"What happened last night, Liv, hm?" - she asked, but with no malice, just worried

Olivia looked down, embarrassed.

"I drank too much, I got carried away, and then the whole world was crumbling around me and everything is a blur" - she confessed, smiling grimly - "I'm so sorry, Abby"

Abby softly caressed her hand.

"You don't have to apologise, bubs. That shit happens to everyone once in a while, and you've been under a lot of stress" - she reassured - "that Michael guy was very sweet, Liv, you should talk to him when you can. I saved his number on your phone, he asked me to, and texted him last night telling him you got home fine"

Olivia was surprised at that info, but that would explain why she didn't remember them exchanging phone numbers.

"He's awesome. He texted me a bit ago asking how I was. I'll reply in a bit"

She downed the glass of water that tasted awful from the aspirin.

Abbs got up.

"I'll leave you to rest now. Yell for me if you need me, okay?"

Olivia nodded, thanking her once more, and before diving back under the covers, she picked up her phone.

_To: Michael_

_1.46 pm_

_Hey! I'm okay now, just with a massive headache. Thank you so much for last night and I'm so sorry... hope I can make it up to you some time soon. x_


	7. six - shivers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> trigger warnings: sickness, nightmares, psychological abuse/manipulation

The entirety of Sunday was a nightmare to Victoria.

She had not slept at all the previous night, her entire body felt weird, she was shaking at every sound that came from outside and refused to leave the room, even when grandma had come call her for lunch. Of course, she didn't insist, so Vicky did not eat that day. She felt sick and all she wanted was to go talk to Liv, but she knew she'd have to leave the room to ask for a phone, so she didn't say anything.

Besides, Victoria understood that this would make Liv worried and upset, and she didn't want to be the cause of that. Although young, she was way more perceptive than most children her age. So she just stayed in bed, ignored, falling in and out of sleep, with horrible nightmares every time she dozed off. Her throat was sore and hoarse from all the crying, and she felt horribly cold, no matter how many layers of blankets were above her.

When the light began to fade once more, as the day came to an end and another night started, she heard a loud noise that made her jump. Gerard, followed close behind by Anne, barged in the room and turned on the light abruptly.

"That stupid sister of yours is on the phone. You're gonna talk to her and tell her you were playing all day and that you're okay. Understood? Unless you want to spend another night out there"

Anne handed her a phone, which she put to her ear, holding back tears. Liv's voice could be heard on the other end.

" _Hey, sweetie! How are you doing?"_

Victoria closed her eyes and tried to put up her most convincing happy voice. 

"Hey, Liv. I'm good, I was playing with grandma" - she said - "I miss you, though"

_"I miss you too, bug! Tomorrow we'll be with each other again, okay? Be good"_

Anne snatched the phone from her and told Olivia the connection was bad, hanging up right after. When the grandparents left the room and shut the door, leaving her by herself once more, Vicky began to cry again.

****

The night was as much of a nightmare as the day had been; no matter how much she tossed and turned, she couldn't fall asleep. Every time she closed her eyes, all she could see were the twisted branches of the trees, and the darkness, and the lightning, and the wild animals she imagined were really there. Her body felt worse, and worse by the hour.

She was cold, then she was hot, then she was cold again. Something in her ankle was hurting her, and her chest felt funny, too heavy and a bit painful. When she realised, morning light was seeping through the windows behind the shut curtains, and soon she was getting dressed, eating breakfast, though rather reluctantly, and on her way out of the home, sitting in the backseat of grandpa's car and clutching her backpack.

At least, she thought, she was going to see Calum and her friends, and Liv would be picking her up from school soon enough, so, despite the pain in her chest and the fact that she felt tired and her body was hurting, it made her happy that she was almost home.

Gerard, from the driver's seat, took a glance at the child, who had been getting on his nerves since Friday. She looked miserable, pale, and shaking in her two layers of clothes, with a small gash that ran across her forehead (and he knew there were more like that).

"If you say a word about what happened to your sister or anyone, do you know what will happen to you?" - he asked, with a scowl, receiving silence from the girl - "they will want to take you to the hospital. And we all know what happens to kids there, right? You don't want that, do you?"

Victoria shook her head quickly, trying not to cry and recoiling a little more in her seat as the road passed by them. Anne didn't say a word until they reached the school building, when Gerard parked the car. The child left her seat hastily, carrying her backpack. She said goodbye to Anne and Gerard, who didn't leave the car, and walked up the steps to the main hall, towards her classroom door, where Calum was welcoming his students with his usual smile. 

Victoria couldn't help but smile at him when she saw him, feeling relieved that the nightmare of a weekend was over.

"Good morning, Vicky!" - he greeted, as happily as always, though finding it weird that she was alone, and did not have a grown up dropping her off - "did you come here by yourself?"

"Good morning" - Vicky greeted - "grandma and grandpa dropped me off outside" "Oh, okay. Was your weekend good?"

"Yes, thank you" - she replied, hastily, trying to change the subject Calum found her attitude a little off, and he could notice something different about her, but all the others kids were arriving, too, and he had to welcome them, so he let her in and made a mental note to talk to her later, while he saw everyone to their seats and helped put their backpacks away in their shelves.

He let them settle, waiting a minute to start writing on the whiteboard to explain what the first task of the day was. The morning was going quite smoothly, though, for Vicky, it was getting harder to cover up that she wasn't feeling good. The heaviness on her chest was getting worse, and her throat still felt sore, but she grabbed the blank sheet Calum had handed her and the coloured pencils and began to draw, as everyone else, like the teacher had asked.

Calum would talk to them and ask questions every so often, they even stopped drawing for a bit mid-morning to sing a song together and talk about their drawings and what was in them, and just like that, the morning flew by. A bell rang, signalling that it was time for lunch break. It was a sunny day, and not too cold, and all the kids were excited and in a good mood, especially because it meant they could probably play a little outside after eating. Calum smiled at the excitement in their faces and stood up.

"Alright, class, off you go" - he announced, being met by a stampede of excited kids leaving the classroom - "I'll see you after lunch"

He still added that last bit, even though he knew most of them had stopped listening at the first part of the sentence.

They went with the janitors to the school cafeteria, where they helped the kids with their lunchboxes. Victoria didn't eat much, though she made an effort to make sure no one noticed - her throat was sore, and it hurt to swallow the food. She talked to some of her friends, trying to hide the hoarseness of her voice, which seemed to be getting worse. She didn't play much afterwards, anyway. She stood by the swings, quietly, shrinking in her coat to try and warm herself. None of her classmates seemed to notice anything different about her, so, in a few minutes, they were going back to the classroom, to which would normally be Victoria's favourite part of the week: music class.

Calum brought them a plastic box full of music instruments, and let each kid pick one at the time (the kazoos were generally the first ones to be picked). He'd tap a beat on his desk or at some other object, and the kids would play along, each on their own instrument - Monday afternoons generally resulted in a monumental headache for Calum, but just seeing the smiles on his little munchkin's faces made everything worth it.

"Okay, is everyone ready?" - he asked, as the kids settled with their chosen instruments - "you know how it goes, so 1, 2, 3, and..."

He began clapping a basic rhythm, and the class just played along cheerfully and very, very loud. In her usual spot, left row by the window, Vicky sat with her instrument in hand, but Calum, who had been keeping an eye on her since she'd arrived that morning, could tell something just wasn't right. She had picked a small tambourine, but wasn't playing, and sat, sadly, at her table. The young teacher stopped clapping, praising the kids for a very well played song.

"Well done, kids! Now, I need to go outside for a bit, I want everyone to think about their favourite song, and when I come back, everyone will get to share it with the class, okay? Miss Jade will be here looking after you for a little, so behave" - he informed, receiving nods and "Yes teacher!"'s in return - "Victoria, can you come with me for a second?"

Vicky looked up, abruptly, as Calum gestured for her to come closer, and led her by the hand to the hallway outside of the classroom, and to his office, leaving the young janitor keeping an eye on the kids, and thanking her for the help on the way out. He couldn't help but notice how cold the child's hands were. He helped her sit on a chair, and looked closely at her. She was pale, and trembling, her eyes were filling with tears. He sat on the chair right beside her.

"What's wrong with you today, little one? You're not yourself" - he asked, taking her hand Vicky looked down and didn't say anything, as grandpa's words from that morning replayed once more in her head

"Where did you get that scratch?"

"I fell" - the girl mumbled Calum tilted her chin up, gently, so she could look her in the eyes.

"Vicky. You can talk to me, okay? I want to help, but I can't do it if you don't tell me what's wrong"

Victoria began to cry, as muffled sobs shook her tiny frame.

"I- I don't feel good. I'm so cold, and it feels funny here" - she said, at last, pointing to her chest Calum was worried, and placed his palm against the girl's forehead, feeling the heat radiating from it.

"Oh, my darling, you're burning up, why didn't you tell me anything before?" - he said - "let's call your sister and send you home to rest, okay? You sit here a second, I'll go fetch your backpack and give her a call"

Vicky sniffled and nodded, now worried for the fact that Olivia was going to know that she wasn't feeling well. Just a minute later, Calum came back, holding her things. He helped her put her coat back on and took her in his arms, carrying her backpack on his shoulder. As she still cried, he tried to comfort her somehow while they waited for Olivia.

"Don't cry, sweet girl, with a lot of rest and cuddles you'll be better in no time, and you can come play with us again, okay? I promise you"

In the teacher's arms, Victoria just hoped with all of her tiny heart that he was right.

***

Monday was going horribly slow for Olivia. She had a lot of tasks at hand at the office, and didn't seem to able to focus in any of them, as her mind kept drifting back to Victoria, who was in school.

Every single part of her just hoped she was okay, but somehow there was an uncomfortable feeling at the back of her mind that just didn't leave her alone. Right after lunch, her phone buzzed in her pocket, and seeing Calum's name on the screen almost stopped her heart.

_"Hi, Olivia, it's Calum. Sorry to be interrupting. Victoria isn't feeling well, I think she has a fever. Can you please come pick her up? She's with me right now"_

"Yes, of course, I'll be right there, Calum, thank you so much for calling me"

Abby, who sat next to her, took a glance at her, worried.

"Abbs, I have to pick Vicky up from school, I just got a call from her teacher, she's sick. Oh my god, I knew this weekend was a bad idea"

Abby placed a hand on her shoulder. "Liv, don't blame yourself. I've got you covered here, drive safe"

Liv gave her friend a quick hug and left hastily towards the car. As she drove, kind of in automatic mode, she just tried to shake off the nasty thoughts that seemed to cloud her brain.

The only thought that mattered was Vicky. She had to get to her


End file.
